Tigers Make Colt Keith Announcement After Removal From Lineup

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Gavin Groe | Last updated Jun 16, 2026 7:36 PM ET

Detroit Tigers infielder Colt Keith had an incredible game Monday against the Houston Astros. The 24-year-old former fifth-round pick put together the best performance of his career, smashing three home runs. Keith had hit just one home run across his 65 appearances.

He collected six RBIs in Detroit's 9-3 win in the series opener and became the 21st player in Tigers history to hit three long balls in a single game.

Unfortunately, Keith will not be able to build on that momentum right away. He was originally included in Detroit's starting nine for Tuesday's game against Houston, slotted in as the designated hitter batting sixth.

However, moments before first pitch the Tigers announced an updated lineup without Keith. Instead, Wenceel Perez entered in his place in right field, with Kerry Carpenter shifting to the vacated designated hitter spot.

The team announced the reason for Keith's removal was injury-related. "Colt Keith has been scratched due to right wrist soreness," the team wrote on X.

Colt Keith has been scratched due to right wrist soreness.

Updated lineup:
3B McGonigle
C Dingler
DH Carpenter
LF Greene
1B Torkelson
RF Pérez
SS McKinstry
2B Lee
CF Outman
SP Valdez https://t.co/Xwvl26QvN2
— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) June 16, 2026

It is unclear when Keith originally suffered the injury, though he likely felt it during pre-game warmups given that he was initially included in the lineup. It is also unclear whether the issue will force an injured list stint or if he will be day-to-day moving forward.

This comes at a disappointing time for Keith, who had really started to pick it up this past week after a slow start. Over his last six games, he posted a .278 batting average, .350 on-base percentage and 1.294 OPS.

The Tigers sit 12 games under .500 with the trade deadline approaching, making every game important. Stacking wins becomes much harder without a key depth piece like Keith, and his condition will continue to be monitored.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: